


Patience

by glassdemons



Category: Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
Genre: Misgendering, Other, Repetition, mentions of violence/torture
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-07
Updated: 2016-03-07
Packaged: 2018-05-25 07:07:43
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 579
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6185365
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/glassdemons/pseuds/glassdemons
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Listener would be home any day now.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Patience

**Author's Note:**

  * For [coolstarboy](https://archiveofourown.org/users/coolstarboy/gifts).



The Listener would be home any day now.

Nazir knew this was a fact. It was the absolute truth. They would walk in, absolutely exhausted. Cicero would take their things. They would fall into Nazir's arms and groan quietly. They would fall asleep beside him. When they woke up, they would tell the Brotherhood what happened that week they were gone.

The Listener would be home any day now.

The initiates were quick to stop wondering when that day would be. There were no contracts with no Listener, and Nazir couldn't get far enough away from them. It had only been a month.

The Listener would be home any day now.

Babette tried to change his mind. It had been two months since they crept out at night. Two months and a week since they returned to Dawnstar with sanguinare vampiris and barricaded themselves in their room. Finding a black soul gem would take two weeks. It would take a day to fill it, another day to get to Morthal, and another to cure themselves. It had been three months since the Listener disappeared.

The Listener would be home any day now.

Cicero waited by his side, patiently. The annoying jester had just as much hope as Nazir did—or so he thought. Four months had passed since the Listener disappeared. The Fool of Hearts began to cry when they were brought up. Even though the Listener had made them start getting along, Nazir found himself lashing out at Cicero again. It had only been five months—why would someone claiming to be their most loyal friend give up so easily?

The Listener would be home any day now.

Someone new entered their Sanctuary after six months. They knew the password, they spoke to the door. They walked in and Cicero began to cry again. They went into a private room. They said the words to the Keeper. There was joy, forced joy, fake excitement, from everyone but Nazir. He did not speak to this new initiate. They weren't the real Listener.

The Listener would be home any day now.

Nazir finally stepped outside after seven months. He went to the docks, to sit and watch the water, to watch the moon's reflection on the ice, the way he did with the Listener. A courier found him, and asked his name before apologizing a thousand times for not having found him sooner. He handed him a note that read "Heard you were with that Altmeri vampire. What an abomination she was, Altmer and a vampire, here, in Skyrim. Kept screamin' and cryin' as she was bleedin'. Never stopped cryin' out for you, to save her from the beatings, so I guess you had a loyal one. Anyway, in Arkay and Stendarr's names, she's been put to dea—"

He didn't finish it. Nazir stood, dropping the paper into the ocean. He went back to the Sanctuary, not talking to Babette, not meeting eyes with Cicero.

The Listener would be home any day now.

He ran into the fake, who apologized, looking scared of this man they'd never spoken to. He didn't answer, pushing past them to his room.

The Listener would be home any day now.

He closed his door and leaned against it.

The Listener would be home any day now.

He started to cry.

The Listener would be home any day now.

The Listener would be home any day now.

The Listener would be home any day now.

**Author's Note:**

> Link wanted a thing with his Listener and Nazir but this probably isn't what he had in mind whoops


End file.
